Monday, August 22, 2011

The four-week rout in equities has wiped out more than $8 trillion in global stock values before central bankers from around the world prepare to meet in Record-low yields on U.S. Treasuries show traders expect Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke to signal a third round of asset purchases. Libyan rebels captured two of Muammar Qaddafi’s sons in the battle to end his 42-year rule.

“Eyes are clearly pointing to Bernanke’s speech on Friday,” Mark Luschini, chief investment strategist at Philadelphia-based Janney Montgomery Scott LLC, which manages $54 billion, said in a telephone interview. “People are of the belief that there’s an increasing likelihood of a new quantitative easing program. We hold no expectation that we’re going to see that. The hurdle remains pretty high. I’m a little concerned that if get some rally on that expectation and it doesn’t come through that the equity market would be set for a decline.”

Broad areas around the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant could soon be declared uninhabitable, perhaps for decades, after a government survey found radioactive contamination that far exceeded safe levels, several major media outlets said Monday.

The formal announcement, expected from the government in coming days, would be the first official recognition that the March accident could force the long-term depopulation of communities near the plant, an eventuality that scientists and some officials have been warning about for months. Lawmakers said over the weekend -- and major newspapers reported Monday -- that Prime Minister Naoto Kan was planning to visit Fukushima Prefecture, where the plant is, as early as Saturday to break the news directly to residents. The affected communities are all within 12 miles of the plant, an area that was evacuated immediately after the accident.

The government is expected to tell many of these residents that they will not be permitted to return to their homes for an indefinite period. It will also begin drawing up plans for compensating them by, among other things, renting their now uninhabitable land. While it is unclear if the government would specify how long these living restrictions would remain in place, news reports indicated it could be decades. That has been the case for areas around the Chernobyl plant in Ukraine after its 1986 accident.

Back in the spring I mentioned that this would be affecting Japan for decades. It is only that now we are only beginning to see the long term impact of the meltdown that occurred at the nuclear plant.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

When I attended Matsuricon last year a Robotech fan named "Autumn" sent us some photos of her Musica cosplay to post on the Robotech Facebook page. Since this happened before I aquired this blog I thought I would post a link to them as the cosplay is very good.

Monday, August 15, 2011

I edited a bit of the Robotech® New Generation™ Sourcebook and skimmed through much of it. Author Irvin Jackson has done a fantastic job on this book and it appears to be everything he and I talked about. More on it in the future. Of course, it must also go through the Harmony Gold approval process which might facilitate some changes and additions. I want this and two other Robotech® sourcebooks in your hands over the next six months. That’s my goal.